Future of the Printed Book in the Age of E-books (from the perspective of a librarian)

Abstract

The objective of the paper is to discuss problems concerning the future of the printed book in the age of the widespread development of the Internet, and the role of the library in the digital world. Until recently, the printed book was the most accessible and basic source of information transmission. The Internet, which entered our lives at the end of the twentieth century, created a virtual world. The ever-growing range of publications on offer, the introduction of less expensive readers, and the continuing process of digitalization of library collections have contributed to the popularity of e-books. The paper presents the advantages and disadvantages of printed books and e-books. The key questions underlying the discussion are: Is the e-book going to replace the traditional book? Will this revolution also affect libraries? After music and film, the book is yet another area of the analog world that has been digitalized. The consequence is that the role of the library and the librarian is changing. Present-day libraries are in the process of immense changes, being transformed from traditional to digital libraries, while those visiting a library are more often users of specialist databases rather than readers. The emergence of e-books was a natural consequence of widespread informatization and the development of the Internet; however, the electronic form of publication and different interfaces of platforms for reading e-books did not arouse the interest of
traditionalists, to whom no digital version can replace the rustle of pages being turned over and the atmosphere of reading a printed book.